DeSmuME

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Revision as of 16:51, 15 April 2014 by Oranjelo100 (talk | contribs) (DeSmuME X432R)
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Desmume.png
Current version: 0.9.10
Active: Yes
OS: Windows, Linux, OS X
Authors: YopYop156, DeSmuME team
Official website: DeSmuMe.org
Source code: SourceForge

DeSmuME is a Nintendo DS emulator. It is also available as a libretro core for RetroArch.

Download

DeSmuME Dev Builds

Review

DeSmuMe is currently the best Nintendo DS emulator out there. It is far better than No$GBA when it comes to accuracy.

Troubleshooting

If the game is slow.

  • Enable the dynamic recompiler in Emulation Settings.
  • If it's still slow, you must be running on a toaster. It can't be helped. But try tinkering with things for the fastest settings you can find.
  • Use frameskip as the absolute last resort.

If the sound is distorted.

  • Synchronous mode is far less buggy. Method Z seems to work the best in most cases.

If the video is hideous.

  • DeSmuME's OpenGL 3D mode actually supports Multisampling Anti-Aliasing(MSAA) (and the code is complete and already present), but for some reason, it's not an option in the GUI and is off by default. Turning it on helps the serrated edges of ultra low-res DS polygons and lines smooth out, appear to wobble less during movement, and retain their shape better when viewed from distance.
    • All that needs to be done is download the latest snapshot, extract it, open desmume\src\windows\DeSmuME_2012.sln in Visual Studio, search NDSSystem.h for the one instance of 'GFX3D_Renderer_Multisample(false)', change false to true, and rebuild for the exe. Make sure to change the target from Debug Win32 to Release x64. Actually Windows version since Desmume SVN r5032 and newer has GUI option for multisampling antialiasing in 3D settings and OSX version had GUI option for multisampling antialiasing for over a year since release 0.9.9.
  • The only other thing you can do is filter it. Make sure OpenGL and Filter are checked under Display Method.
  • Yes, filter it. Whether that is simple Nearest 2x or some pixel art scaling filter like HQx or xBRZ is up to you.
  • OSX version of Desmume also has support for multi-pass post-processing shaders and filters which Windows version currently doesn't have.
  • Leaving it native and aligning it to a CRT (Set to a 384 high resolution) is also an option, if you feel like going through the effort.

If the 3D is messed up.

  • Set it to OpenGL 3.2. Old OpenGL had problems with 3D itself, while SoftRasterizer had alignment issues with 2D. But 3.2 seems to fix most of both.
  • SoftRasterizer's texture alignment issues are supposedly fixed on a per game basis with the newer TXT hack. It now seems to be more compatible and showing more effects than GL3.2. Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest V seem to work best with it over GL3.2.

Internal Resolution

Mainline DeSmuMe does not offer any options for higher internal resolution than native. Not currently possible via regular means. Use filters (e.g. bilinear) if you can't live with jaggies.You can read more here:


DeSmuME X432R

DeSmuME X432R is a fork that allows for higher internal resolution.


Win x64 build

Guides and Info

DeSmuMe Wiki